Final Hours
by Juushika Redgrave
Summary: A one-shot fic about what happens between Ryoga and Akane after Ramna leaves town. Contains angst, language, violence, and references to sex.


Final Hours   
  
  
Completed 11.3.01   
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2. I hope this is rather obvious. I am using it without permission. I am making no profit of any form.   
Warnings and notes: This is the only straight story that I have managed to finish to date. Normally, I write yaoi. The pairing is RyogaxAkane. It contains a het pairing, references to yaoi, references to sex, swearing, violence, and generally dark subjects. You have been warned. I appreciate reviews (left here or at swiftskyes@hotmail.com), be they critiques or a general good/bad word. Enjoy.   
  
- - -   
  
It pained him to watch but Ryoga forced his eyes to stay trained on the scene visible through the gap between the door and the jam. There, seated on a futon, was Akane, crying into the bedsheet she held in tight fists. A low, repetitive, indecipherable murmur was escaping her lips; Ryoga leaned forward, trying to hear. Finally he rose to his feet and, sliding open the door, entered the room.   
  
Akane looked up from the sheets when Ryoga sat down next to her. Her watering eyes met his as his hands rose, moving towards her shoulders, then fell to his lap.   
  
"What is it, Akane-chan?" he asked her.   
  
Without looking away she swallowed and answered. "Nothing, really, it's nothing."   
  
He continued to watch her and she averted her eyes, blinking rapidly.   
  
"It's really nothing- " she forced a laugh "-just something that Ranma-kun did. Baka. It's really quite ironic. Funny, I guess, if you think about it."   
  
"Ranma?" Ryoga asked.   
  
Akane squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back tears. And then, as if the words slipped out unintended, she resumed the mantra Ryoga had heard whispered.   
  
"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma…" She repeated the word again and again.   
  
Ryoga's heart ached to see Akane in pain; within himself he seethed, already tense with anger towards Ranma. To hurt her like this… he thought and reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her body to his. Akane lost her composure, breaking in to ragged sobs. She locked her hands on the folds of his shirt. Eventually she calmed, her eyes clearing and her tears drying to salt crystals on her cheeks. She began to talk:   
  
"That god-damned unholy bastard." The foul language passed her lips absently as she spoke without pause for thought. "He's finally done it this time. I know how often I used to get mad at him over the smallest things - fix-ups and accidents, that sort of thing. But yesterday, I - well, it turns out Ranma has a secret. He doesn't even like girls that much: he's bi. Swings both ways. Has a few kinks. Was making out with some guy from our class out behind the school. When they saw me they stopped, but it was obvious what had been going on." She slowed, "Surprise; surprise."   
  
She stopped, and Ryoga stared down at her with disbelief. He was about to question her when she continued.   
  
"And then this morning, Ranma wasn't here. Saotome-san is, but all that's left of Ranma is this."   
  
She let Ryoga's shirt fall from her right hand and dug into her dress pocket. She pulled out a crumpled scrap of paper and, frozen, staring at it. Then, with a breath she pushed in into Ryoga's palm. He took it and drew away, moving to the side so that he could flatten the paper out on the futon. Sloppy, hastily written, poorly spelled - it was a short note.   
  
"Akane," it read, "I'm sorry about what you saw. Now that the secret's out, I guess it would be best if I left. I need to do some training anyway. Tell the others what ever you want to. Except Pop - tell him to piss off." Ranma's mess of a signature ended it.   
  
Ryoga's hand clenched the paper into a small ball. He looked to Akane and she looked away.   
  
"Ranma," she whispered, "I'm an idiot for loving him."   
  
He pulled her into his arms again, held her. She breathed shallowly and he bowed his head to whisper into her ear:   
  
"It'll turn out ok, Akane," he said. "I promise you that in the end it'll all turn out ok. You can do anything you want now - you can control your own life. Find someone who loves you, someone who appreciates your beauty, your grace, your strength, all of you and your full potential. Find someone who will never take you for granted or insult you. Someone who will love you for the rest of your life." Ryoga paused. It was difficult for him to breathe - his windpipe felt obstructed, blocked by emotion. His eyes stung. "You can be happy now, Akane," he eventually continued, "you can live your own life."   
  
"I love him," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.   
  
"I know."   
  
Ryoga continued to hold Akane, the meaningless seconds ticking by. After some time Akane pulled back from the embrace and looked up into his face. Her streaked cheeks were red but her eyes had calmed.   
  
Ryoga was conflicted. Ranma was gone, and his heart rejoiced. He had had only two issues with Ranma: his martial-arts skills and his engagement to Akane. If it could have ended differently, Ryoga would have wished it so. Nevertheless, the engagement was broken and Ranma was, finally and forever, no longer an issue. There was a second side to his internal battle: Akane was in pain and it hurt Ryoga to watch it.   
  
It was the look in her eyes that finally spurred him to act. Ryoga cupped her chin in one hand. "I have always loved you, Akane," he said. Then he kissed her.   
  
Their lips met and Ryoga's mind went blank. Her eyes closed, then his. It felt that he held her for a short eternity, so warm in his arms. He pulled her tight against him before he slid his arms down to her waist. Akane's hands found the nape of his neck and then his hair. Her fingers wove themselves into the brown strands underneath his patterned bandana. For a moment Ryoga did not need to think or fret - he simply lived the moment with Akane.   
  
But then it ended. Akane's eyes snapped open, her body became rigid, and her hands moved to push him away. When they separated, Akane refused to meet his eyes.   
  
"Don't, Ryoga-kun," she said, her tone recessed. She then stood and walked out of the room through the sliding door, leaving Ryoga alone and dazed on the futon.   
  
- - -   
  
Later that afternoon Akane vanished. She disappeared from school, her normal hangouts, even the Tendo Dojo. Her father Soun was left in complete disarray, spending his time either pacing the dojo or laying on his futon with a cold cloth on his forehead. He knew his daughter: stubborn as an entire hoofed animal farm, proud, temperamental, often violent; never once had she done anything like this. Ranma was also missing without an explanation.   
  
Ryoga said nothing. He did not stray from the Tendo Dojo.   
  
He felt as if life had become living hell. The happiness he had felt with Akane - gone. Ryoga feared that Akane had gone in search of Ranma. He was tempted to go out looking for her but two things stopped him: he was afraid his directional difficulties would have him end up on the tip of some Japanese island; even if, faced with true love, his disability fled, Akane's words stopped him. "Don't, Ryoga-kun," she had said, and the words had etched themselves into his heart.   
  
After the passing of seven days, Akane returned home. Her friends were relived, but none more so than Ryoga. She had not brought Ranma home with her.   
  
Ryoga did not interfere as Akane told the story of Ranma's disappearance. He did nothing as her family worried over and coddled her. He did not change to his pig form and sleep in her bed at night. All the while he did nothing. Observing from the sidelines was driving him mad.   
  
Akane was close, but he didn't dare reach out to her. Her presence taunted him. But more importantly, he was concerned for her. He ached to give help, but she refused it. And so he did nothing.   
  
Emotions enough to flood all of Tokyo flowed from Ryoga's heart.   
  
- - -   
  
Time passed. Much further into the month Ryoga was settling down to sleep, following his nightly ritual. He stripped off his shirt, folding it and placing it beside his umbrella and pack, his well-worn traveling companions. Following that, his pants. Then he unrolled his futon. This he placed near the thin door. Finally he stood, slid open the door, and walked a few feet outdoors. Looking up he could see Akane's bedroom. Her light was out but her door was open, casting a low, quite light on the room. He looked in to what he could see - the ceiling and the top of the far wall - with his eyes dry. By now she would be falling asleep.   
  
The door behind him opened.   
  
Ryoga swung around. Akane was walking in through the doorway, her head down-turned. She shut it behind her and then stood, unmoving. It was the first time she had come to him, even looked at him, since her return home.   
  
After a moment had passed, she began to speak in a low murmur, "I just came by to say a few things. Ryoga … Ryoga, I know how you feel about me. I'm flattered - I barely even know what to say. But you need to understand that I can't ever feel the same way about you." She continued to watch the floor, tugging at her hair. "I know Ranma's gone. He didn't even love me. But I guess my heart doesn't care because I still love him." A long pause and then she continued. "So, you see, Ryoga, it just wouldn't work. Sorry. I think - don't take it the wrong way, Ryoga - I know you should leave. It's too many memories. You remind me of Ranma … what it was like when he was here. And you need to move on, also. It'll be easier when you're not near me. You understand, right? You should leave."   
  
Tears shone in Ryoga's eyes, a few escaping to spill over his cheeks and onto his white undershirt. He opened his mouth, thought his words it unwise, and said only, "Tonight." Biting his lower lip, he turned and knelt by his pack. Through clouded eyes he watched as his hands moved, attaching his umbrella to his pack, reaching for his clothing.   
  
What kind of fate was this?   
  
Ryoga heard Akane step closer to him, then drop into a squat. She leaned her head towards him and whispered a final goodbye. Ryoga didn't hear it; her presence made his mind swirl loudly and white noise pounded in his ears.   
  
Then he stood, clothes in his hand. Akane mimicked him. Her body was still dangerously, painfully close to his own.   
  
What happened next was unexplainable. Eyes locked, there was movement, and then they were once again in each other's arms. Open mouths met; tears of pain and joy intermingled. Akane's restraints slipped away. She wrapped one arm over his shoulder and curled the other around his back. His clothes fell from his grip as his arms moved to encircle her waist. Akane arched her back, pushing her chest against Ryoga. He leaned into her.   
  
They were lost.   
  
It was many long moments before the embrace broke and they fell apart, breathing.   
  
The sadness in Akane's eyes was gone. Joy was there now, and relief. She looked, to Ryoga, more beautiful that she had ever been. Her hair brushed against her glowing cheek, she shone with the light from the lamps outside.   
  
Ryoga took her hand and brought it up to his mouth, kissing the fingertips. Holding her hand tight in his he walked forward, leading her to the futon. Akane sat down, looking upward with velvet eyes. He joined her.   
  
- - -   
  
Ryoga awoke to the sound of even, quiet breathing beside him, the sunlight streaming through open door and the feeling of Akane at his side. Turning, he watched her, chest rising and falling, covered in a thin white sheet. Their legs were twined together beneath the sheet, and he shifted, freeing himself, and stood. Ryoga let Akane sleep on, pulling his shorts from the mess of clothes strewn on the ground and slipping them on. He stretched, then threw open the door leading outside. For a moment he was blind. Sunlight streamed in, shining off of Akane's hair and bare skin. He admired her, losing himself to the angelic beauty, before putting on the rest of his clothes, leaving the room, and heading to the kitchen. He followed his sense of smell rather than direction - it was more trustworthy.   
  
He walked down the hallway, smiling, thinking about the previous night. What a fool Ranma had been. To the best of Ryoga's knowledge, not once during the entire engagement had Ranma even kissed her. But then, Ryoga thought, he appears to have been more interesting in other guys than in her and I would have killed him if he /had/ done anything. Shaking his head, Ryoga walked into the kitchen. He brushed passed Kasumi, who spoke:   
  
"Good morning, Ryoga-kun. Have you seen Akane? She wasn't in her room this morning and I'm afraid she may have run off again."   
  
Ryoga adjusted his bandana as he answered, smiling with sheepish eyes. "She's in my room."   
  
Kasumi nodded, but the look in her eyes demanded more information.   
  
"She - she spent the night there," Ryoga elaborated. "She's, um, kinda exhausted, what with the stress of Ranma's disappearance and all. I'll bring her breakfast, ne?"   
  
Kasumi accepted his explanation with her usual naivete, and Ryoga let out a quiet thankful sigh. He then raided fridge and stove, piling items on a plate he held in his left hand. Nodding to Kasumi, he headed back down the hall to his room. He found his way with ease.   
  
Akane awoke to the smell food. Ryoga watched her push up on her arms, then smiled and greeted her.   
  
"I love you, Akane," he said, followed by the less romantic, "Hungry? I brought food." He gestured to the tray that was set on the floor.   
  
Akane slipped from under the sheet. Brushing it aside, she pounced on Ryoga, holding him captive on the floor. "I love you, too, Ryoga," she told him, and bent her head to kiss him. Ryoga returned the kiss, then freed his arms and flipped her over, back onto the futon. There he held her in a tight embrace. He looked to her eyes, a smile playing across his features.   
  
Then, suddenly, without warning or cause, the moment was gone. The scene flickered. Akane's shape disappeared. The room blacked out. Ryoga swirled in darkness.   
  
- - -   
  
Moonlight came in through the window. It bounced off of the futon and floor and Ryoga's eyes as they sprang open. He put his hand out to touch the sleeping form beside him. He could not reach far. He had no hand, only a stubby hoof. He was in his piglet form. Ryoga, as a confused and stunned P-chan, climbed out from under Akane's arm and looked around. Akane was in her room, on her bed, dressed in her usual nightgown.   
  
Ryoga jumped down from the bed and scurried out of the room. After some searching, the moments long in the black of night, he found the bathroom and stopped there, nuzzling the hot water faucet on and doused himself. Then, as a human, he searched for the spare room. He could move faster, now, running without noise. On finding the target he slid open the door and looked in.   
  
There were two people in the room. Genma was on the futon next to the door from the hall, asleep in panda form. Beyond Genma was his son, Ranma, snoring lightly, his black braid spilling off his pillow.   
  
Tears welled up in Ryoga's eyes.   
  
Vision blurred, Ryoga walked through the hallways of the house. From room to room, wandering aimlessly. Eventually he found himself in the kitchen. Late in the night no pots bubbled on the stove, Kasumi did not tend the dishes, the room did not shine with the kitchen lights - it was dark, quiet, and empty.   
  
Ryoga traced over the kitchen countertop - his hand moving over the edge of the stove, the sink faucets, the cutting board.   
  
"Akane's in my room, Kasumi," he said. "She spent the night there."   
  
The bussing of a lone fly, disturbed from its sleep by Ryoga's presence, was his only response.   
  
His hand closed over the handle of a small kitchen knife.   
  
"I love you, Akane," he whispered, his voice drifting into the silver night air.   
  
There was no one there to reply, "I love you, too, Ryoga."   
  
Ryoga plunged the blade into his carotid artery, ripping open the neighboring jugular vein, and yanked it to the side, into the center of his throat. Air leaked, blood poured. Unconscious, Ryoga's body began to fall to the floor. Halfway there, he died. The body tumbled to the ground, the head crashing against the tile. Ryoga's bandana was yanked back as his head cracked against the flooring. It crumpled on the floor, turning a violent crimson as it soaked up the blood that still spilled from his neck and pooled on the kitchen floor.


End file.
